HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-0421 Document Submitted at Mtg
AS H LA N D FO R EST
RESILIENCY
STEWARDSHIP
Ashland
Forest
~ Resiliency PROJECT
What is AFR?
A 10-year collaborative effort
to reduce the risk of severe
wildfire, secure clean drinking
water, and protect forests,
wildlife, habitat, people,
propert
y, local economy, and
i quality of life.
j The best of its kind.
!
j This innovative solution to a Mot* by Sean ftgshaw
complex problem is a model
for forest restoration.
Successes on the ground A Model of Collaboration
result from collaboration in Over five years, the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project
active restoration, public (AFR) has reduced the threat of severe wildfires in a highly sensitive
engagement, and from co- area through collaboration among a large and diverse group of
investment by the city, state I governmental bodies, environmental organizations, citizens, private
and federal agencies. businesses and community groups. A commitment to achieving
I
shared goals reduces the risk from high severity wildfire, secures
drinking water, and sustains forests that provide for wildlife and a
Recognition.
high quality of life for residents.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The project won federal Ashared landscape. Ashared responsibility.
awards of $2.4 million
toward completion on A decade ago, conflict prevented pragmatic work to reduce a
federal lands, and $1 million mounting fuel load and forest health crisis. Today, multi-party
for expansion to critical monitoring, workforce training, and community engagement build
private lands to reduce the transparency and trust in a complex ecological and social 1
risk of catastrophic losses to landscape. New federal investment advances the project toward
the watershed and forests completion and expands it to critical private lands.
Upon which Ashland and the
surrounding community i
Tli Nature USDA
relies. $1 million remain to Consen~anc~ 99 ANR3
-ASM AND v ~ ,a se,•P F . ervi„~ •+r
be raised for completion.
ashlandwatershed.org
} A new investment model.
With the City of Ashland committing its funds to pay for work on
1 federal forests, AFR represents a new approach to accelerate forest
Oregon
restoration through partnership with local communities which
invest in the health of their watershed and diverse ecosystem benefits.
New co-investment by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service expands fuel reduction and restoration to 1000 acres of private
lands adjacent to the federal project in a comprehensive "all lands"
approach, benefitting a larger population of residents within a 50,000
Measurable success. F acre forested area centered on the watershed and surrounding homes.
Work remains both in and outside of Community engagement, youth, workforce training.
the watershed to complete an
approach which sets the stage for Over 2,000 local youth have participated in classes and field
cost-effective prescribed burns at activities about watershed function, ecology and forest
larger scale, and to realize the stewardship. In addition, 20 local high school students participate
beneficial outcomes from the i each summer in hands-on experience designed to inspire interest in
inevitable future forest fires. Thusfar, i
the successes have been greater natural resource careers. For the adult forest workforce, training is
than anticipated. The results on k ingrained in the ongoing day to day operations, elevating
National Forest land and cross- knowledge, experience, and leadership.
boundary on city and private tracts:
• 4000 acres of landscape-scale
fuels reduction and forest
restoration complete
• 3.5 million board feet of
restoration by-product logs
- 1000 log truck loads delivered'
to local mills, sustaining jobs
$1.5 million in receipts on sale of r
by-product logs recovered to
reinvest in the project ' - -
- 17 direct full-time jobs
annually, multiplying to.
107 jobs with indirect and (
induced work
Treasured landscape.
.
1
The Ashland Watershed and
surrounding forest is an invaluable
natural resource providing an array of Photosby: The aryof Ash] and,oa%ec[a yton, Loma ka tsl Restoration Project
ecosystem benefits. Serving as a Contacts.
Southern Oregon hub for tourism
and recreation, its mountain biking, Chris Chambers, (541) 552-2066, chris.chambersCs'ashland.or.us
trail running, and the Oregon Don Boucher, (541) 899-3840, dboLich er(wfs.fed. us
Shakespeare Festival are an
economic engine that generate more Darren Borgias, (541) 770-7933 ext K dborgias<<L)tnc.org
than $30 million annually. Marko Bey, (541) 488-0208, marko@lomakatsti.org
ashlandwatershed.org